Graylu Week 2016
by inizhay
Summary: A collection of one-shots for Graylu week 2016! Sept 1-7. A lot of these are modern AUs. None of them are connected unless noted.
1. Day 1: Whispers

**A/N: Hurray Graylu week! Even though I totally forgot what day it was so it's technically Sept. 2 where I am. Graylu Week is Sept 1-7. Prompts can be found on Tumblr at fyeahgrayluweek. This is just a shorty to kick things off.**

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 **Day 1: Whispers**

"Hey, you awake?" Lucy whispered.

"Mmmm?" The boy currently sharing her tent replied sleepily. "'Smatter, Luce?"

"I'm just thinking about tomorrow," she said. "What's going to happen when we get back to the guild?"

Gray rolled over to face her. He propped his head up on his elbow.

"Dunno. Everybody will probably freak out a little, but they'll get over it. Mira will take the longest to accept it, but by the time those two idiots show back up, she'll just be happy to see them."

Lucy nodded absently and stared up at the tent ceiling. Gray reached over and ran a finger down her cheek to regain her attention.

"You okay with everything?" He asked.

Lucy nodded, but her throat constricted a bit. She knew it was stupid. He'd never given her any reason to think that he saw her as anything but a friend. Lucy just couldn't believe that she'd let the whispers of their guild mates convince her that maybe he did feel something more. A tear slid down her cheek. She knew Gray couldn't see it in the pitch dark of the tent, but she didn't expect him to trail a finger tip lightly down to follow the path of the tear. Before she could make any sort of excuse, he'd scooted over on his bedroll to wrap her in a hug. Lucy instantly curled into the offered comfort.

He murmured nothings into her hair as he held her. Lucy tried to clutch at his shirt, but then she realized he wasn't wearing one. Of course, he wasn't wearing a shirt. Lucy sniffle/laughed at the thought. She pulled back and looked up at the darkness where she thought his face was.

"Thanks, Gray," she said. "I really am okay. I'm not sure why I'm crying. I never expected anything from him."

"You're allowed to be disappointed, though," Gray whispered.

"That's the thing," she said. "I'm not disappointed. Not really. I mean, sure it would have been nice if he felt the same, but… I never really thought that he would, you know?"

"But you still care about him." Gray's voice was so soft now that Lucy almost didn't hear him.

"I mean, he'll always be my best friend," Lucy said. She snuggled closer to Gray. "Thank you for being here, Gray. I know it probably sucks to be sharing a tent considering we have an extra, but I just… I didn't want to be alone tonight."

Gray made a noncommittal noise and hugged her tighter. He listened to her breathing evening out as she fell asleep in his arms.

"I'll never leave you alone unless you want me to," Gray whispered as he laid a kiss on her hair. Despite his best efforts to keep it at bay, a little worm of hope was working its way through his heart as he held the sleeping blonde. He wasn't looking forward to telling the guild that Natsu and Erza had eloped while on their mission, but maybe some good could come of this. Maybe with Natsu out of the picture, he actually had a chance.

"I love you, Lucy," he whispered.

It was only a year later when he got down on one knee in front of her clutching a velvet box that she told him she hadn't been asleep that night at all.


	2. Day 2: Déjà Vu

**A/N: First of the modern AUs. And let me know in the reviews, does this happen to anyone else?**

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 **Day 2: Déjà vu**

Lucy wasn't sure how she ended up hanging out with a bunch of delinquents all the time. It had started in high school. She was an honors student. Voted most likely to succeed, straight As, involved in drama club, played volleyball, wrote for the school paper, took all AP and honors classes. Yet, all of her close friends where stoners or got drunk every weekend, hooked up with strangers, stayed out past curfew, etc, etc.

She figured college would be different. Surely she wouldn't end up in the same crowds halfway across the country where she knew absolutely no one and thus could meet absolutely anyone.

Oh, how wrong she had been.

Her first day of classes she'd sat next to a girl with blue hair. Lucy had pink streaks in her hair throughout her senior year of high school, but she'd gotten rid of them in an effort to appear more collegiate. Whatever the hell that meant. Being the social butterfly that she was, Lucy had struck up a conversation with the blue-haired girl, and just like that, she'd found her crowd of delinquents once again.

Still, she was trying not to fall into old habits. Sure, college was just as easy as high school had been, so she wasn't actually worried about her grades. But she didn't want to make a habit of getting drunk and stoned constantly. She was ready to do the slow fade on her new friends, but then Juvia introduced her to Gray. It was at this point that Lucy truly understood _why_ she was drawn to these groups.

Gray didn't really stand out. He faded into the background of campus much like the color of his name faded into the background of life. Yet from the moment she met him, Lucy knew she couldn't walk away from the delinquents. Because as dull and flat as his name sounded, he was as vibrant as a Matisse painting. Abstract shapes and rounded curves creating a sense of overwhelming _color_. The problem, of course, was that bad boys like Gray didn't fall for good girls like Lucy.

Of course, that didn't keep her from trying to gain his attention, which is why she found herself at another Thursday night get-together at Juvia's apartment off-campus.

Lucy took the bus with Juvia after class to the one-bedroom apartment in the cheaper part of town. The paint was peeling on the balcony, and the cracked concrete steps to the second story looked ready to crumble at the slightest touch. Still, Lucy had grown kind of fond of the place after spending hours there with Juvia discussing Poe and Wilde while passing a bong back and forth.

The two women settled on the couch and watched YouTube videos of Ted Talks while they waited for the others to arrive. Slowly people trickled into the apartment. Most didn't bother to knock before entering. Juvia switched the media to a playlist of trippy alt-rock videos before grabbing beers from the fridge for the new arrivals. Lucy sipped at the heavy craft beer and tried not to be obvious about the fact that she was waiting for someone in particular.

She'd already taken two hits of the joint Gajeel had rolled before Gray finally appeared. Lucy blinked slowly. Hadn't he already walked in? Seeing him come in the door was like déjà vu, and Lucy mentally cursed as she realized that her high was starting. She tried to focus on what Gajeel was saying about the music video that was playing. Something about the singer, she thought, but she was having a hard time understanding because her mind kept thinking she'd seen this before: sitting on the couch with Gajeel watching this exact video and having this exact conversation. She tried to remember what had happened next the last time they'd done this (though she was sure they'd never actually done this before), and it finally clicked just as Gray sat down in the small space next to her.

Yes! This is what had happened the last time! Gray sat next to her, and… Wait, no, this had definitely never happened before.

"How's it going?" Gray asked. Lucy blinked at him as she tried to form a coherent sentence, but the words kept slipping away before she could string them together. Gray cocked an eyebrow at her, and she was pretty sure she melted into a puddle at the sight.

"Excuse me," he said before reaching over her to grab the joint that Gajeel had been offering her. Lucy swallowed thickly as he leaned back and took a hit. His thigh was pressed against hers, and somehow she just knew she had felt this before. Just like she knew she had watched him in this exact way before. She shook her head slightly. Of course she'd seen him smoke out before. This wasn't new.

"You okay?" He asked. Lucy nodded.

"Sorry, I'm just… having some pretty intense déjà vu," she said. At least that came out well. She was pretty sure that she wasn't slurring any words.

"Dude, that happens to you, too?" He asked. He leaned back over her to hand the joint back to Gajeel. "It's so bad for me sometimes, the déjà vu gets so fast that I feel like I can see a few seconds into the future."

"Oh my god, yeah, it's exactly like that," Lucy said. She nodded vigorously, but then she had to stop when the room wobbled too much.

"You know the weirdest part, though?" Lucy continued. "Usually when it gets to that point, the future always turns into a horror movie."

"What?" Gray said. He took another hit from the joint and then coughed for a minute before passing it off again.

"Yeah, like, when I see the future it's always an axe murderer barges into the room or the zombies attack or the guy in the corner reveals himself as a serial killer. It gives me the creeps." Lucy shivered.

Gray laughed, and stretched his arm on the back of the couch behind her.

"That sounds trippy, Luce," he said. Holy. Shit. He knew her name. He actually knew her name. She hadn't thought that he did. Did she just imagine that? But wait, no, she remembered this now. She remembered sitting on the couch with him and he knew her name, and then she leaned back and his arm ended up across her shoulders.

Lucy leaned back into the couch slowly, and a few seconds later, Gray's arm dropped to rest on her shoulders. She freaked out internally, so that she totally missed what he said next.

"What?" She asked.

"I said, this is probably a bad time to tell you that I am a serial killer."

Lucy froze. Her eyes widened and her pulse sped up. She didn't pull away from him as her fight or flight instincts failed to kick in and she simply froze instead like a rabbit in the headlights. She felt tension gathering around her in a thick cloud.

Then, he laughed.

"I'm just fucking with you," he said. "Sorry, I'm kind of a dick. I like messing with people when they're stoned."

Lucy remembered how to breathe. She let out a giggle and gave him a small shove.

"That's so messed up!"

"Yeah, I know," he paused and leaned in closer to her. "But not as messed up as the bloody knife I've got hidden."

Lucy froze again. Fuck, she remembered this. How had she forgotten the time her crush murdered everyone in the room? But wait, that didn't make any sense. How would she remember it if she was dead?

Gray laughed again.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop. You're just so easy to freak out."

Lucy pouted as she took the dwindling joint from Gajeel and took another hit before passing it to Gray. She started coughing violently on the exhale, and Gray nudged her beer bottle up to get her to take a drink. He took the joint from her and looked at it for a moment before glancing back up at her with a smirk.

"You ever shotgunned a hit?"

"No, what's that?" Lucy asked. She'd been smoking with her delinquents for long enough that she thought she knew everything about smoking weed. She didn't like that she felt like a newbie in front of him. She wanted to be cool dammit. Gray's grin just grew wider.

"I'll show you," he said. He took a hit and then leaned in to press his lips over Lucy's. Her mouth was slightly open from the shock that he was kissing her. Then, he blew the smoke into her mouth, and she got it. She sucked the smoke in and moved away from him to exhale. She had a split second to decide if she was going to stay a safe distance or dive back in for a real kiss.

Luckily, she remembered this, too. She kissed him.


	3. Day 3: LettersNotes

**A/N: Another Modern AU. Reader beware. Here there be lemons!**

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 **Day 3: Letters/Notes**

 _Dear 23B,_

 _Could you be so kind as to TURN YOUR FUCKING STEREO DOWN AT 4AM?_

 _I love the 80s as much as the next girl, but some of us have to be up in the morning._

 _Cordially,_

 _Upset Upstairs_

 _Dear Upset Upstairs,_

 _Could you be so kind as to stop FUCKING BOWLING in your kitchen at 5pm?_

 _Seriously, I'm not sure if that's what you're actually doing, but some of us work nights and need to be sleeping during that time. Cut it out._

 _Best wishes,_

 _Downstairs DJ_

Lucy crumbled the paper in her hands before angrily ripping it to shreds. The nerve of that asshole! She did NOT bowl in her kitchen. At 5pm or otherwise! She walked around cooking dinner after work like a normal goddamn person. Maybe there was also some dancing involved as she listened to Pandora. And sure, maybe she had been a little rude in her note to him yesterday, but for fuck's sake, did he have to blare Def Leppard at such a godforsaken hour? For a week straight? She couldn't be the only one in the building to complain, either.

Lucy paced in her living room, taking extra care to stomp as she did so. She was supposed to be getting ready for a blind date that Cana had set up for her, but she was so livid at the answering note she'd found on the clip by her front door that she was seriously considering cancelling the date. Lucy stopped pacing and sighed. She couldn't skip out on this date, too. She'd already cancelled on the guy once for an emergency work project and once because she just couldn't be bothered to put on pants. Leaving the house was hard sometimes.

She sighed again and headed for the bathroom to start getting ready. She was supposed to meet him at a deli near the park. Apparently he had a thing for cold cuts. Lucy threw on a sweater and mini skirt before running a brush through her hair. She considered her reflection in the mirror. Fuck it. He'd have to deal with her post-work make up. She couldn't be bothered to do anything else. Considering Cana's usual blind date fare, he was either a complete dud or only interested in hooking up. Lucy wasn't interested in either of those options, so he could just deal with less than her best. She just hoped this guy wouldn't stick her with the full check like the last one. She didn't have a problem paying for her own meal on a date, but paying for his was just ridiculous unless she had been the one instigating the encounter.

Lucy paused with her hand on the front door knob. Maybe this was her problem. She tended to view dates as going into battle. She was ready to brawl and not just because of the infuriating note from her unwanted "downstairs DJ." Holy shit. That sounded dirty now that she was thinking about it. Lucy tossed her head angrily and made sure to slam the door as she left. She really hoped her downstairs neighbor _was_ trying to sleep.

The deli was nearly empty when Lucy arrived. She took that as a bad sign considering it was nearly 6. Then again, maybe this was more of a lunch place, which made it even weirder that her date wanted to meet here. Lucy considered the wisdom of her skirt and boot ensemble as she paced in front of the deli to keep the blood pumping against the icy wind. She could just wait for him inside, but what if he thought she would be outside and then he waited out here forever while she was cooling her heels indoors? What if he was already inside waiting on her, not expecting her to be standing outside in the cold like an idiot?

"Lucy?" Someone said behind her, startling her out of her spiraling thoughts. She turned to find an extremely handsome man with dark hair and wearing a rumpled blue button up standing in front of her.

"Gray?" She asked. He grinned and held out a hand for her to shake. It was surprisingly warm given the weather. She then noticed that he wasn't even wearing a coat. Snow wouldn't melt in these temperatures, and yet he didn't even look fazed by it.

"Good to finally meet you," he said. He gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"

Lucy nodded and led the way inside. She wasn't sure exactly what she had gotten herself into, but at least he was hotter than the three previous blind dates combined. They ordered separately at the counter before taking over a booth by the window. By the time they'd finished their sandwiches, Lucy knew that Cana had finally picked a good one. He had a tech job (working nights, but that was his preference), he had his own place (they ranted about awful neighbors for a while), and he had great taste in music.

"Oh yeah, vinyl all the way," he agreed. "I love Def Leppard. Journey's the shit. Poison. I'm kind of an 80s guy."

He suggested grabbing ice cream at a little place down the street, and even though Lucy would have definitely preferred hot chocolate at this point, she agreed so that she had an excuse to spend some more time with him. Eventually, he had to leave to head to work. For the first time in her dating career, Lucy scheduled a second date while still on the first one. She fell into bed with a huge smile on her face as soon as she got home. She drifted to sleep and immediately started dreaming of the gorgeous dark-haired guy.

And she woke up plotting the demise of her downstairs DJ when she heard Poison drifting through her floorboards.

"Oh that is fucking it," Lucy hissed. She stormed out of the apartment and down the stairs to pound on the door of 23B. It was only as she was standing in the frigid night air waiting for the asshole to answer that she realized she was still in her sleepwear of oversized t-shirt and thong. There was no time to turn around before the door opened. Lucy's jaw dropped at the chiseled abs and pecs in her direct line of sight. She swallowed heavily before sliding her eyes up, and she was pretty sure if it was physically possible, her jaw would have been on the floor.

"Were you that eager to see me again?" Gray asked with a smirk. He leaned against the doorframe with one arm resting high above his head. The pose just accentuated his naked torso, including the v-line disappearing into his low-hung gym shorts. Lucy had to wrest her eyes back to his face as it clicked just who she was ogling.

"Holy shit," Lucy muttered. "You're the downstairs DJ? No. No. Just fucking no. Why?"

Gray blinked at her for a moment before it clicked.

"You're the bitchy upstairs neighbor?"

"Bitchy?" Lucy shrieked. She started pacing back and forth in front of him to avoid releasing her nervous energy by punching him instead. "Oh I am so sorry for being a mite upset that I am being awakened from a damn near blissful slumber, with some pretty fucking perfect dreams about you, by your need to blare 80s glam rock at 4 in the fucking morning!"

"It's 5 in the morning," Gray said lightly. He smirked again as he added, "You were dreaming about me?"

Lucy stopped and glared at him. He watched her with an amused smile as she fumed. She saw his eyes drift downwards before shooting back up to her face. At least he was trying to be a gentleman, and given the fact that she had openly ogled him when he opened the door, she supposed she couldn't really be upset. He swallowed thickly, and it was Lucy's turn to smirk as she took a step towards him. She ghosted a hand over the arm stretched above his head as her breasts pushed into his bare chest.

"So what if I did dream about you?" She murmured. Gray swallowed again as he tried to maintain his composure. He leaned in slightly so his lips were by her ear.

"I'd like to hear about these dreams," he whispered. She shivered at his warm breath on her ear. Lucy had intended to tease him and then give one last searing insult before storming back to her apartment, but she now realized that she was in way over her head. This man was far too tempting for a saint to turn down, and she was far from saintly.

It didn't help that "Talk Dirty to Me" was still blaring from the apartment behind him. While it should have reminded her why she was pissed in the first place, Lucy couldn't quite summon up the necessary righteous anger to walk away from the insinuation of the song. The hand she had trailing down his arm came to rest on his chest.

"Shouldn't you be going to bed soon?" Lucy asked.

"Not for another hour probably. Shouldn't you be getting up soon?"

"Not for another hour," she said.

"Well, look at that, we've both got an hour to kill," Gray said. "Would you like to come in and listen to Poison with me?"

"Only if you promise to come upstairs and bowl with me in the kitchen some time," Lucy said. Gray laughed and dipped down to ghost his lips over hers. She melted closer to him as she tried to put real contact into the almost kiss.

"Come on, you should get inside before you freeze to death in that outfit." Gray wrapped his arms around her and drew her into his apartment. It was colder than her place, but after standing in the below freezing temps outdoors, it felt like a cocoon of wool. Gray moved to close the door with his back, and Lucy surged forward to claim that kiss. The door slammed beneath his back as she pressed him into it. Gray's hands slid down to her thighs and lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his hips. He spun them so that her back ended up against the door instead. Lucy moaned at the feel of his hardened length only separated from her wet opening by a few layers of cloth.

"Warm me up," Lucy murmured as she licked up his neck to his ear. Gray shuddered at her ministrations and ground into her. He bent down to claim her lips for a bruising kiss as one hand kneaded her ass while the other came up to palm her breast. He pushed the shirt up above her breasts and broke the kiss so he could tease a nipple with his tongue. Lucy moaned again and rolled her hips to press further against his impressive erection.

"Too many clothes," Lucy said. "I want you naked."

Gray shifted her legs higher on his body so he could remove the gym shorts. He shimmied her back down so his bare shaft was pressed against her core again. Her silk thong pressed tightly over her clit to add to the sensations. Gray pressed his torso flush against hers and spoke between kisses.

"Tell me. What you. Want."

"I want you to fuck me against this door with your giant cock," Lucy gasped. Gray grinned at her.

"As you wish," he said. He leaned in to kiss her again, but then he paused and looked around. "Aw fuck. Hang on. Condoms are in the bedroom."

Lucy started to lower her legs, but he cupped her ass.

"These muscles aren't just pretty to look at, princess," he said. He carried her to the bedroom where he did set her on the bed while he rummaged in the nightstand before finally producing a faded silver package. Lucy eyed the package uncertainly.

"You sure it's still good? That thing looks… dusty."

"Hey, it's been a while," Gray said defensively. He checked the package. "Yeah, date's still good for a few weeks."

He turned back to Lucy, and he stopped breathing for a second at the sight of her stretched out on his bed. The t-shirt had fallen to cover her boobs again, but her midriff and blue silk thong were both still bare to him. Lucy was equally mesmerized at the impressive specimen towering over her. She let her eyes trail slowly from his deep blue eyes and strong jawline, down his perfectly cut torso with the tribal tattoo on his chest, and finally to his erection. Lucy unconsciously licked her lips as she studied him, and Gray drew in a shuddering breath. He moved to cover her body with his own, but Lucy suddenly sat up and put her hands on his hips.

"Stay right there," she said.

"What happened to fucking against the front door?" He couldn't help asking. Lucy smiled up at him.

"We'll get to that later. For now…" Her voice trailed off as she returned her gaze pointedly to his cock. Her tongue darted out to lick up the drop of moisture at the tip. Gray groaned. His hips tried to surge forward, but her hands held him back as she slowly teased his head before ever so slowly sliding her lips over him. Gray's eyes rolled back. He tried not to pump into her perfect mouth as she began bobbing her head in time with the new song that was playing. She began humming, and every muscle in Gray's body tightened at the new sensation.

"Fuck," Gray managed to stutter out the expletive. "As much as I love that mouth of yours, there's somewhere else my cock wants to be right now."

"Where's that?" Lucy asked in mock confusion. Gray grinned and shoved her back onto the mattress. She bounced slightly which made her giggle. The giggle turned into a moan as Gray rubbed the tip of his shaft over her clit, which was still partially covered by the silk thong.

"You're still wearing too many clothes," Gray said with a tsk.

Lucy instantly reached for the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head. She tossed it away as Gray hooked a finger around the string of her thong on each side and slipped it down her hips. He licked his lips before diving down to wrap his lips around her nipple again. Lucy arched into him as her hand reached out to grab the condom from him. She rolled it slowly down his shaft.

Gray groaned against her skin before releasing her nipple with a small pop. He brought his lips to hers, and their tongues battled for dominance. Gray slid his thumb up her slit before rubbing small circles over Lucy's clit that made her mewl against his lips as she stroked him. Gray's other hand came up to knead her breast, and she pulled her head back to look him in the eye. Her pupils were wide, and her face was flushed. He'd never seen anyone so beautiful.

"I want all of you. Now," Lucy gasped.

More than ready to comply, Gray let her guide his cock to her entrance.

There was no more thinking after that point. Normally during sex, Lucy had trouble turning off her brain enough to really enjoy the sensations, but with Gray, her constantly analytical mind shut itself away. She was just a mass of nerve endings and need. If her brain had been functioning at its normal capacity, she would have called it a cliché when she literally saw stars as she orgasmed.

Gray froze above her shortly after as he came. He dropped so that his head was resting on her boob for a moment before he rolled off her and collapsed face first on the pillow beside her. Lucy felt boneless as she lay there in the aftershocks of bliss. When she finally felt that she could move, Lucy tried to climb out of the bed, but Gray threw an arm over her stomach.

"Stay?" He murmured.

"I have to go to work," Lucy said as she settled back into the mattress.

"Have to?" He asked. He turned so that one cheek was pressed into the pillow while his visible eye gazed at her.

"Should," she said. Her voice was already breathy, and she could feel need coiling around her reproductive organs again.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"I could lose my job."

"Hmmm. Yes, that could be bad," Gray said. He moved his arm from her stomach to run his fingertips over her cheek. "Come back later?"

Lucy smiled and brought her hand up to brush his hair from his forehead.

"How about you come bowling with me in my kitchen when I get off work?"

"Deal," Gray said. He yawned and his eyes drifted closed. Lucy reluctantly untangled herself from him and found her t-shirt. She left the thong on the bed beside him, though. She was about to leave when she noticed a notepad and pen lying on the coffee table. She grinned to herself before scribbling a note. Then, she ran upstairs to her apartment to get ready for work.

Lucy had barely made it home from work when Gray knocked on her door with a plastic blue suitcase under one arm and a record in the other. Lucy raised an eyebrow in question, but he just grinned at her. He set the case down on her dining room table and snapped it open to reveal a record player. He put the disc on the turntable. Whitesnake drifted through the small speakers as he picked her up and set her on the kitchen bar. He pulled a piece of paper from his jacket and set it on the counter beside her.

"I believe you issued a challenge, Miss Upset Upstairs," he said.

"Did I?" Lucy asked. It came out a bit high pitched as he spread her legs and began running his fingers over the hems of her thigh-high stockings.

"Oh yes," he said. "I believe I should show you just how good I am at deejaying downstairs."

The note fluttered to the floor a short time later.


	4. Day 4: Drunk

**A/N: Wow, this turned out... lengthy. There is no fluff. There is very little actual romance. I think I ended up using this as a way to work through some things from how my last relationship ended, and then restarted, and then ended again, and is now... Friends? I did give these two a slightly more hopeful ending, so it's not all doom and gloom.**

 **Anyway, I may do a happier one-shot for this prompt later. The song is _Drunk_ by Ed Sheeran.**

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 **Day 4: Drunk**

 _I wanna be drunk when I wake up_  
 _On the right side of the wrong bed_  
 _And never an excuse I made up_  
 _Tell you the truth I hate_  
 _What didn't kill me,_  
 _It never made me stronger at all_

Lucy woke up shivering. She rolled over to cuddle closer to her bedmate for warmth. Her nose snuggled up against his neck, and she let out a small sigh. But then she inhaled, and the scent was all wrong. Instead of hot cocoa and fresh snow, she smelled hibiscus and coconut. Lucy frowned and reluctantly opened her eyes. Her vision was still a bit blurry, and her head was pounding out a fierce dubstep bassline. Still, her mind was clear enough to realize that it was not Gray in her bed.

 _Of course not, you idiot_ , she thought. She sat up and the dark blue comforter fell off of her bare breasts. As she looked around the room it clicked that this wasn't even her bed. She glanced at the man next to her again, and the memories started to piece themselves together. Most were still fuzzy, though.

She'd taken a job near the Blue Pegasus guild and stopped off for a drink. Normally Hibiki's advances just rolled right off, but given her mental state of late… Lucy groaned and climbed out of the bed to start looking for her clothes. That train of thought would only lead her back to the reason she'd been taking so many jobs without her team. Hell, Lucy wasn't even sure that she actually had a team anymore.

She stumbled into her clothes as she willed her headache to go away before she had to step into the sunlight. She didn't bother to leave a note as she walked out, though she did lock the door behind her for him. This wasn't the first time she'd hooked up with Hibiki, but she hadn't expected it to happen again.

And now all she wanted to do was get drunk again. Actually, she wanted a shower first. She glanced at her reflection in the train window as the countryside rolled by. Her hair and makeup were a mess, but she couldn't find the energy to care. She hadn't even tried to sneak out of Hibiki's room at the Blue Pegasus guild hall without being seen. Master Bob had given her a wave when she walked out, and it hadn't fazed her at all. Maybe Cana was rubbing off on her. Or maybe her heart was still too broken to give any shits about other people's opinions.

She'd needed to get away from the guild hall. Everyone treated her like she would shatter at any moment. No need for them to know that she'd already done that in the privacy of her own home on multiple occasions in the three weeks since he left her. The heart she carried around in her chest cavity now was just shards of ice held together with liquor and one-night stands. She hated being sober; she was starting to understand Cana a bit better through all of this.

 _Love will scar your make up_  
 _Lips sticks to me, so now I maybe lean back there_  
 _I'm sat here wishing I was sober_  
 _I know I'll never hold you like I used to_

Cana was waiting for Lucy in the guild hall when she returned to tell Mira that the job had been completed. The card mage immediately dragged Lucy out of the hall to start their almost nightly round of clubs and bars. They had started out drinking in the guild hall, but there were just too many memories there for it to really help Lucy.

Even when Gray wasn't actually in the hall—which he rarely was lately—she still saw him everywhere: brawling with Natsu, flicking ice cubes at Cana, avoiding the waterfall tears of Juvia. Lucy scowled at that last thought. She knew it wasn't actually the water mage's fault. Hell, she knew that Juvia still hadn't even won Gray despite the soap opera that was currently playing out between the three of them. Four, if you counted Lyon. Five, if you wanted to throw Natsu in the mix just for shiggles.

Lucy tipped back the shot glass. She welcomed the burn of the whiskey down her throat. She wasn't even sure how many shots she was on at this point because the boys at the other end of the bar just kept buying. Before all of this, Lucy never accepted drinks from strangers at the bar. She knew they were just interested in her big tits and blond hair, and she had zero interest in them. Now, well, the jewel for her current level of drinking had to come from somewhere. Besides, if one of them actually worked up the nerve to talk to her, she might have another warm body to make her temporarily forget the colder body she missed.

Cana watched the blonde with some trepidation. She wanted to help Lucy get over the ice make mage. She wasn't entirely clear on what was going on with everyone. She just knew that Juvia split with Lyon barely a week before Gray told Lucy he wanted to take a break. Lyon was convinced there was infidelity involved, and Natsu just wanted everyone to kiss and make up so he wasn't trapped in between his two best friends. The fact that Gray was suddenly taking missions with Juvia a lot and had even moved in with the woman didn't help the rumors any.

The only thing that Cana could come up with to help was alcohol and lots of it. She knew it was a bandaid for a much bigger problem, but until she could figure out some other way to assist, this was the best she had to offer. That pissed her off, too. Cana felt helpless. She had tried to let Lucy know that she could talk to her anytime. And the blonde had taken her up on that offer once, but now, Lucy seemed convinced that she just had to flush Gray out of her system with as much booze and as many men as necessary. Cana just tried to keep the celestial mage close and tried to keep her safe.

 _But a house gets cold when you cut the heating_  
 _Without you to hold I'll be freezing_

A few hours later, Cana heaved to lift the nearly passed out blonde onto the bed. She slipped off Lucy's heels while the blonde mumbled quietly to herself. Cana searched the room for Lucy's pajamas. The place was a wreck. Clothes and wine bottles were scattered everywhere. Some of the bottles were shattered, and Cana wondered how the hell Lucy walked around without cutting her feet to shreds. Partially full takeout containers were scattered over the coffee table and kitchen counters. Cana finally found an oversized t-shirt to put on her now completely unconscious friend. It took some doing, but she finally managed to wiggle Lucy out of the teeny-tiny red dress she'd worn to the club and into the t-shirt.

Cana couldn't get the covers out from under Lucy, so she grabbed an extra blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it gently around the blonde. Lucy had curled into the fetal position on the bed. Cana paused as she saw the tears falling from Lucy's closed eyes.

"Gray, please don't leave me," Lucy whispered. "It's so cold."

The words ripped at Cana's heart. She missed her bubbly friend, and she felt at least partially responsible for this. She was the one who schemed with Mira to get the ice make mage and the celestial wizard together in the first place. They'd seemed so perfect for each other. Cana shook off the thoughts and wiped the tears from Lucy's cheek before turning to begin cleaning up the mess.

"Allow me."

Cana jumped at the sudden appearance of Lucy's maid spirit.

"You scared the bejeezus out of me," Cana hissed.

"Will you punish me?"

Cana eyes the pink-haired woman speculatively before shaking her head.

"Maybe some other time. You've got this mess covered?"

Virgo merely nodded and began zipping around the room collecting the detritus. Cana watched for a moment. Then, she yawned widely and decided it was time to head home. She locked the door behind her, even though she knew that wouldn't keep Natsu from coming in if he decided Lucy needed to be comforted. Lucy had told him that it was probably better if he didn't pick up his habit of sleeping in her bed again even though she and Gray were no longer together. The poor guy was in enough knots as it was. He hadn't even been picking as many fights with Gray because he didn't want to look like he was taking sides.

Lucy was distantly aware of the pull on her magic that signaled Virgo was around. She hadn't wanted her spirits, or really anyone, to see the state of her apartment, but she didn't have the energy to close Virgo's gate. The room spun slightly as Lucy shivered under the blanket from the couch. She clutched it tightly around her, but she was still freezing. Ever since he left, it was like she couldn't get warm. Ironic really considering that everyone else thought the ice make mage brought the cold with him wherever he went. But for Lucy, Gray had always been like dry ice, so cold that it burned to touch. Being with him consumed her body and soul, leaving only her shell behind when he disappeared like the smoky frozen vapor off dry ice cubes.

 _Can't rely on my heart to beat in_  
 _'Cause you take parts of it every evening_  
 _Take words out of my mouth just from breathing_  
 _Replace with phrases like 'when you leaving me? '_

Lucy finally drifted into a fitful doze as she felt Virgo return to the spirit world. Most nights, the alcohol helped her forget, helped her go home with someone who could temporarily erase the memory of his lips and his eyes. But then there were nights like this when being drunk was a curse. The bad memories and the good swirled together to pummel the pieces of her shattered heart. Nights that made her want to scream into the pillow as she relived the day he left

 _Gray had gone to visit Lyon and take a job with him. It was to cheer him up since they'd found out that Juvia had dumped the other ice make mage. Her reasons weren't clear, and given that the two had been engaged, it had thrown everyone for a loop. Gray would be gone for a week, and Lucy missed him terribly in her bed. Something had been off about him, too, but she couldn't put her finger on quite what it was. She thought perhaps he would keep in touch via lacrima while he was away, but he never called._

 _Finally, tired of Lucy moping listlessly around the guild, Erza had dragged her out on a job with Natsu happily going with them. Natsu had shown surprising restraint and only destroyed a single building while capturing the group of bandits. The trio returned to hear that Gray was back, but he hadn't wanted to hang out at the guild. Lucy stayed around the hall for a little while before heading home to finally see her boyfriend. They had been living together for nearly a year now. She wasn't quite sure how Gray had moved in, but it just felt right having him there, and it was nice to split the rent with someone._

 _She walked in the front door and called out a greeting, but she only got a low grunt in response. Lucy's brow furrowed as she made her way to the bedroom. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, and she wasn't sure where the sudden sense of foreboding was coming from._

 _"_ _Gray?" She whispered. He looked up and tried to smile at her as he patted the bed beside him. Lucy sat down on the edge and reached for his hand. He drew away with a pained expression._

 _"_ _I need to talk to you about something," he said. Lucy's heart rammed itself against her rib cage over and over so loudly that she almost didn't hear his next words: "I think we should break up."_

 _"_ _What?" Lucy stammered. Gray sighed. He ran a hand through his hair before turning to her with tears in his eyes._

 _"_ _This isn't working. I just need something new. Something different. I don't know."_

 _"_ _Is there someone else?" Lucy tried to swallow the giant lump in her throat as she bit back her tears._

 _"_ _No, of course not. I just need a change," Gray said. Lucy felt herself losing the battle with her tear ducts._

 _"_ _But I love you," she said._

 _"_ _I know, Lucy. I just… I need this. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He grabbed her hand as he started crying. His face turned all red and blotchy as the tears poured down his cheeks, and suddenly Lucy wasn't sad. She was pissed. She yanked her hand from his grip and stood up with her hands on her hips._

 _"_ _You're fucking sorry?" She yelled. Here he was, ripping her heart out of her chest, and he was the one bawling. All she wanted to do was break down into a sobbing mess, but she couldn't while he was crying because it made her want to simultaneously tell him it was okay that he was breaking her heart and Lucy-kick him into next week for doing it._

 _"_ _Yes, I'm so sorry, Lucy," Gray mumbled through this sobs. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him._

 _"_ _Fuck you, Gray. Just fuck you," Lucy said. She grabbed the overnight bag that she always kept packed in case of a surprise mission as she headed for the front door. "I'm going to stay with Natsu."_

 _"_ _But this is your apartment, too. I should sleep somewhere else," Gray said._

 _"_ _No," Lucy said stonily. "I've slept in that bed alone for the past week waiting for you to come home to me. It's your turn."_

Lucy awoke violently from the dream and shot up in bed. She felt the tears pouring down her cheeks as the memory started replaying. She could still see his stunned expression as she stormed out of the apartment. The anger had gotten her to Natsu's house, but then it abandoned her as she broke down. The fire dragon slayer's total loss over what to do when Lucy showed up in tears would have been funny if she hadn't been so miserable. He'd been ready to beat someone into the ground until she managed to explain why she was a sobbing mess. Lucy gathered the blanket around her and made her way to the kitchen. She bumped into the couch, but at least Virgo had cleaned up all of the shattered glass so there was nothing to stab her in the foot as she stumbled along.

She pulled a glass to get some water, but then she caught sight of a bottle of rum on top of the fridge.

 _Should I? Should I?_  
 _Maybe I'll get drunk again_  
 _I'll be drunk again, I'll be drunk again_  
 _To feel a little love_

The bottle called to her as she stood barefoot in her kitchen, but she knew it had just as much chance of making her feel worse as it did of making her feel better. Lucy hated drinking alone. It felt pathetic and awful, and it made her wonder if she was developing a problem. Still… There was a chance that another shot or two would help her go back to sleep, and maybe it would even keep away the awful dreams.

Lucy glanced down to find that Cana or Virgo had changed her clothes. Lucy drew in a shuddering gasp and gripped the t-shirt in her hands before pulling it over her head and tossing it across the room. She thought she'd gotten all of his stupid shirts out of the apartment when he packed his bags and moved in with Juvia. Apparently she'd missed one. She'd burn it later. For now, she really wanted that shot.

Somewhere between the second and third shot, she started to feel warm again. Between the third and fourth, she was humming happily as she danced around the apartment in nothing but her thong. She even called out Plue to dance with her. The little dog spirit shook violently as he did his little twirls and dips along with Lucy. After the fifth shot, she was on her hands and knees on her living room floor silently screaming as the agony settled into her chest.

A flash of golden light lit up the room just before two strong hands gripped Lucy's shoulders. She let herself be pulled backward until her back was flush with the strong chest of her lion spirit.

"Loke," she choked out.

"Shh, my love. I'm here. It's going to be okay," he murmured. His arms wrapped around her waist as he rocked back and forth.

"Why doesn't he love me anymore?" Lucy asked. She heard the desperation in her voice, and she wanted to be angry at herself for letting her emotions get so out of hand over a man who didn't want her.

"He does in his way, just not necessarily the way you want him to," Loke said slowly.

Like Natsu, the Zodiac leader felt torn between his old friend and his beloved mistress. Normally, he would have pounded anyone into the ground who dared to hurt her, but… it was Gray. They were both his friends, and he just didn't know what to do. He'd watched his mistress slowly sink into the alcohol and the one-night stands, but he knew he couldn't stop her. Part of him still hoped that Gray would come to his senses, but he found that unlikely.

"I feel so unloved," Lucy whimpered. Loke pulled her to him more tightly and nuzzled her neck.

"You're never unloved, Lucy," he said. "I love you. All of your spirits love you. Natsu and Erza love you. Hell, everyone in the guild loves you, and you know it."

Yes, she did know. Even with most of the guild not wanting to take sides in the soap opera created by Gray and Juvia, she knew that she had their support if she needed anything at all. A few guild mates were firmly on her side: Cana and Levy chief among them. They made Gray's time in the guild hall difficult so that he often took missions and stayed away for days at a time. Pretty much everyone else just wanted to stay out of it.

Still, that wasn't the type of love that Lucy was talking about. She knew that she had the love of her family, but she thought she'd found more than that with Gray. Even in her alcohol fueled state, she knew that she wanted to be friends with him again. Her heart had shattered so violently because not only was she losing her boyfriend when he said those words, but she was also losing her best friend. He was a member of her team, but this break up had shattered that. They were still a team on paper, but Team Natsu hadn't taken a mission together since the debacle.

Unable to form a coherent response due to the swirl of emotions in her head and heart, Lucy drifted asleep in her spirit's arms without realizing that she was still naked.

 _I wanna hold your heart in both hands_  
 _Not watch it fizzle at the bottom of a Coke can_  
 _And I got no plans for the weekend, so should we speak then?_  
 _Keep it between friends_  
 _Though I know you'll never love me like you used to_

A week later, not much had changed. Each day got a little easier, but then, she was also drinking a little more. The few times that Gray showed up, he didn't look much better. She felt a little petty for being glad that he looked absolutely miserable, but she couldn't help the tiny smile that formed when she saw him wearing the same rumpled clothes from the day before with his hair a greasy mess and dark circles under his eyes.

He sat with Juvia, though he stayed a good distance away from her at the shared table. They were both still maintaining that they were just friends, despite him moving in with her so soon after both of them left their significant others. Lucy figured they were just scared of the guild's backlash if they revealed their new relationship status. She didn't know for certain that they were sleeping together, but she wasn't sure what other conclusion she was supposed to draw. Gray could obviously afford his own place; he didn't have to live with Juvia.

Lucy sat at her usual table with Erza and Wendy. Carla and Happy sat on the table in front of them. Carla sipped at her tea while Happy alternated between munching on his fish and staring at her with hearts in his eyes. Natsu had left the group to start a brawl with Gajeel which was quickly drawing in other members of the guild.

"I think it's time the whole team took a job together," Erza said suddenly.

Lucy felt a shiver of apprehension race up her spine, but she tried to hide it from her adopted older sister. Still, Erza gave her a sad smile and reached out to grip Lucy's hand with her gauntleted one.

"I know it still hurts, but if we are going to remain a team, we must work together," Erza said. "Unless you think we should remove Gray from the team?"

Lucy blanched and shook her head violently. She couldn't be the reason that Gray lost his spot on Team Natsu. If anyone should leave, it should be her. Gray was far stronger than she was anyway. Lucy dipped her head to stare at the table where she began absently tracing over a knot in the wood. She couldn't bear the thought of not being on the team with her adopted sisters and her hot-headed best friend. Even if she did have to put up with her ex to stay. And a small part of her still did want to be friends with him. She knew it would take time as her heart was still mending, but she hoped that she would someday be able to call him a friend again. She knew he would never love her the way that he had before, but maybe Loke was right, maybe Gray did love her in another way, and maybe that would even be enough for her in time.

"You're right, Erza," Lucy said finally. She sighed and offered a weak smile. "We're still a team. So we should work together. I just… I don't know that I'm completely ready, yet. And I don't know if he is, either."

Erza glanced over at the table where Juvia and Gray were sitting silently. Well, Gray was silent. Juvia chattered next to him, but he didn't seem to be paying her any mind. Lucy's gaze drifted that way as well and she didn't even try to bite back the petty smile that formed on her plump lips. She didn't _really_ want him to be miserable, but she couldn't help feeling a glimmer of satisfaction that he wasn't at all enjoying the bed he'd made for himself. He may have fallen out of love with Lucy, but it seemed that he hadn't fallen in love with Juvia, either.

 _There may be other people like us_  
 _Who see the flicker of a clipper when they light up_  
 _Flames just create us but burns don't heal like before_  
 _And you don't hold me anymore_

Another week passed, and Erza finally managed to convince all the members of Team Natsu to take a job together. The town for the job wasn't too far so they decided to walk instead of taking the train. Natsu bounded along excitedly with Happy doing tricks in the air above him. Erza led the way while both Gray and Lucy trailed behind with Wendy in between. The sky dragon slayer glanced nervously between the two of them from time to time, but she slowly began to relax as both merely remained silent.

The walk took a little over an hour to reach the village where the town leader—it was far too small to have an actual mayor—greeted them at the entrance and explained that the trouble was a nest of vulcans in the forest north of town. They kept rampaging through the village to steal food and women, so the villagers would greatly appreciate it if the mages could stop the barbaric creatures from being such a nuisance.

Erza assured the tiny man that the vulcans would be dealt with in short order. Lucy stumbled on a loose rock as they started up again, and Gray reached out to steady her with a hand on her elbow. He released her quickly as she regained her footing and he looked away awkwardly. Lucy blushed slightly, but she hurried to catch up to Erza who had already made it halfway across the village in the few seconds that Lucy was tripping.

The team found and defeated the vulcans in under thirty minutes. They stood around in a circle laughing and congratulating themselves for a moment. Suddenly, Lucy was gripped around the waist and she found herself staring down a hairy green back as a Vulcan they'd somehow missed threw her over its shoulder. Lucy screamed and kicked at him, but she couldn't get a good enough angle to do any real damage. She heard her teammates yelling as the Vulcan began bounding through the forest. Lucy's head bounced roughly against its back, and she was sure that her panties were flashing at anyone in front of the beast. She tried to reach her keys or her whip, but the vulcan's hand (paw?) was planted firmly over her ass, so it completely covered the weapons at her waist.

She screamed for Loke. A golden flash appeared in the foliage beside them, and she saw the lion spirit quickly take off in pursuit of them. The vulcan's leaps ate up the forest floor too quickly for the lion to catch them, but he did manage to keep up. A few seconds after the spirit appeared, a ball of fire came racing towards the group. It slammed into the back of the vulcan's head which caused the beast to stumble. Somehow it maintained its grip on Lucy as it spun to face the attacker. She couldn't see what was happening behind her, and it made her even more terrified than she already was.

The Vulcan roared at Natsu and Loke. Natsu's flames swirled around him, and Loke thrust his fist into the air to gather power for his Regulus impact. Natsu jumped up to attack the hand holding Lucy just as the rest of their team burst through the trees. Lucy squealed in terror and pain as Natsu's flames caught her skirt and set it ablaze. Still, the attack had the desired effect of getting the creature to release her. Lucy screamed again as she fell through the air, but then she was caught by a pair of cool arms that hugged her tightly to an even colder chest as they fell to the ground and rolled.

Gray curled his body around her as much as he could to protect her from further harm as they rolled across the ground before coming to rest at the base of a giant tree. Lucy groaned as she prayed for the world to stop spinning so much around her. The others came running up to them after Natsu and Loke took out the last Vulcan. It wasn't until Loke reached down to help her up that Lucy realized she was sprawled half naked across Gray's lap. She just wanted to sink into him, have him wrap his arms around her as he had when he caught her and pull her into his chest. Instead, she took Loke's hand and whispered a small "thank you" before taking off into the forest.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she rushed away from her teammates. She felt Loke slipping silently through the trees behind her, but he didn't try to speak. Lucy finally collapsed to her knees a short distance from where they had taken out the other vulcans. At least she was heading back towards the village instead of getting lost in the forest alone. Lucy's shoulders shook slightly, and she hissed as her singed butt came to rest on her heels.

"I'll have Virgo bring you some new clothes," Loke said. He disappeared, but another golden light appeared almost instantly to reveal the maiden.

"Big brother said you needed these, Princess," Virgo said. She held out a stack of clothes for Lucy. The blonde took them with a mumbled thanks, but she didn't move to actually put them on. Virgo stood there silently for several moments before quietly saying, "Do you require anything else, Princess. We are here to help if you ever need us."

"I'm fine, Virgo. Thank you," Lucy whispered. "You can go back now."

Virgo hesitated a moment longer before returning to the spirit world. Wendy and Erza found Lucy still sitting there in a daze with dried tear tracks down her face as she clutched the celestial clothes in her lap. Erza gently pulled Lucy to her feet so they could get her dressed before the guys joined them. Wendy caught sight of the burns on Lucy's bare butt and quickly healed the worst of the damage before helping the blonde into her new clothing. Lucy meekly followed whatever they told her to do. Her mind was a mass of fuzzy black and white dots.

Her butt no longer hurt from the burns Natsu had accidentally given her, but she could still feel the phantom pain. She inhaled sharply as the memory of Gray grabbing her from the air and holding her close pressed in on her. She covered her face again as she tried to sink back to the ground.

"Carla, can you fly Lucy home please?" Wendy asked. Lucy peeked through her fingers to see the prissy white exceed nod before releasing her wings and grabbing Lucy by the back of her new dress. Lucy was surprised that Carla didn't even argue about leaving Wendy alone with Erza. Tears threatened again as Lucy realized that she must look truly pathetic for Carla's overprotective nature to redirect to her right now.

"It'll be alright, child," Carla whispered to Lucy as she lifted her into the air. Lucy watched the tears that dripped from her chin glisten as they fell away into the trees below. They flew over the forest in silence and back to Magnolia where Carla deposited Lucy in front of her apartment building.

"Would you like me to get you anything?" Carla asked. She continued hovering in the air.

"Could you tell Cana where I am?" Lucy asked quietly. Carla's expression became disapproving, but she nodded before flying off towards the guild.

 _On cold days cold plays out like the band's name_  
 _I know I can't heal things with a handshake_  
 _You know I can change, as I began saying_  
 _You cut me wide open like landscape_

Lucy had been waiting for nearly an hour before the knock on the door came. She'd already thrown back two shots during her nervous waiting. She kept dodging between her kitchen and her closet as she kept rethinking her outfit choice. She needed to get out to the bars and then into someone's bed as quickly as possible. She needed to get the newest memory of his arms out of her head on the double. Lucy sprinted to the door as best she could in her four inch heels. She threw it open, prepared to berate Cana for taking forever, but the words stuck in her throat when instead of the card mage, she found the last person she wanted to see right now.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked.

Gray shuffled his feet a bit and rubbed at his neck.

"I… um… Can I come in?"

"No," Lucy said. She folded her arms under her chest and stared at him. Gray's face turned bright red as he tried to look anywhere but at her.

"Okay, well, I just… I wanted to make sure that you were okay after what happened today."

"Erza, Wendy, and my spirits made sure that I was fine. I have plenty of people looking out for me, Gray." Lucy knew her voice was harsh, but she also knew that it was all a front. Still, she refused to cry in front of him, and she knew that if she showed him even an inch of compassion, she'd be in tears in no time. She'd only cried in front of him when he'd packed his things and moved out. She'd practically begged him not to leave her that day. He'd gone anyway. After that, she'd vowed that he wouldn't see her tears for him ever again. He didn't deserve them.

"I know that… I just…" Gray broke off and rubbed his hands over his face roughly before meeting her gaze finally. "Look. I know that I royally fucked up. But I still care about you, Lucy. So, I wanted to check on you. But I also…"

His voice trailed off, and Lucy shifted awkwardly in place while she waited for him to continue.

"Look, can I please just come in so we can talk?" He said. Lucy sighed, but she also stepped back and gestured for him to come in. She sent a silent thanks to her keys that Virgo had cleaned her apartment again. She didn't need Gray to see just how much of a mess she had become in the month without him. He stood awkwardly in the living room until Lucy plopped down on the couch and removed her shoes. She assumed that Carla had _not_ passed on the message to Cana, so it didn't look like she was going out tonight after all.

"Alright, talk," Lucy said when Gray joined her on the couch. He sat on the edge gingerly and looked down at his hands.

"I miss you," he said. "I miss my friend. I know that I hurt you, but… Can't we be friends?"

Lucy felt the tears threatening again. She did want that didn't she? She had already accepted that Gray would never love her the way that he had, and she thought she would be fine with being just friends with him, but would she really be okay with that?

"What would Juvia think about that?" Lucy asked. He flinched at her unintentional venom, but she couldn't feel sorry for it as he squirmed slightly.

"I know what everyone thinks, but we really are just friends, Lucy."

"So you've never slept together?"

Gray remained silent, and Lucy snorted. She felt the anger crawling up in her chest, and she welcomed it. It was so much better than the cold agony that gripped her daily.

"That's not the point, Luce. The point is, can we be friends?"

"Let me ask you this, Gray," Lucy leaned in closer as the anger and the two shots of rum made her bolder. "How would you feel seeing me with someone else? Because I will find someone else. If we were friends, how would you feel?"

Gray swallowed convulsively and his hands curled into loose fists.

"I wouldn't like it," he said after a moment when he forced his hands to relax. "I'd deal with it, though."

"Well, I don't know if I could deal with seeing that with you. It's bad enough seeing you with Juvia," Lucy said. She stood up and went to open the front door again. Gray stood slowly to follow her.

"That's a no then?" He asked when he stepped through the doorway. Lucy fought the urge to rub at her aching temple.

"Ask me again when I stop loving you," she whispered. Then, she closed and locked the door before turning to lean her back against it as the tears finally poured.

 _Open bottles of beer but never champagne_  
 _To applaud you with the sound that my hands make_

Once again, Fairy Tail had dominated in the Grand Magic Games. Sabertooth had been hot on their heels for most of the competitions, but the tigers just couldn't overtake the fairies. The Fairy Tail mages had returned to Magnolia where the celebrations would continue for another week at least. Several mages from their friendly guilds were also present.

Champagne flowed throughout the room, but Lucy just clutched onto her beer bottle tightly. She was happy about the win, and she was proud of everyone, but even three months after her split from Gray, she was still mourning the loss. She tried with everything that she had to push him out of her head, but nothing was working. Lucy was desperately trying to push the downwardly spiraling thoughts from her head when Lyon took the barstool next to her.

"How have you been?" Lyon asked.

Lucy picked at the label on her beer bottle. With anyone else she would have just said 'fine' and moved on, but this was Lyon. She knew that he was seeing someone new already, and she wished she could move on so easily.

"I've been better," she finally muttered. Lyon nodded and took a sip from his champagne glass. He seemed so relaxed despite the fact that Gray wasn't far away and Juvia was hanging around him desperately. Lucy finally blurted out, "How'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Lyon raised an eyebrow at her.

"Get over her so quickly," Lucy mumbled.

"Ah, I guess it does look that way, doesn't it?" Lyon asked. His eyes drifted to his new girlfriend, Millianna, who was in fits over a couple of the exceeds. Lyon smiled softly before turning back to answer Lucy's question. "To be honest, I'm still hurt, but Millianna has been a great help. I think it also helps that I expected this for some time before she actually left me. The engagement was my last ditch effort to keep Juvia with me. A silly idea, really."

Lucy nodded at her beer. Neither of those things would be helpful to her. Gray's decision had come out of nowhere. She'd had no clue that he was unhappy. Everything had seemed perfect. And with him still so firmly lodged in her brain, she knew there was no way that she was going to fall into a relationship with someone else so soon. Lately she was finding it more difficult to even fall into bed with someone else.

"I really am sorry I can't help more, Lucy," Lyon said. "You were there for me in the beginning, and I appreciate that. If you ever need anything, please, let me know."

Lucy nodded. Lyon gave her a small smile before heading over to save Frosch from Millianna's adoration. Her eyes drifted once more to Gray. He hadn't approached her again about being friends in the two months leading up to the Games, though she had noticed he stayed further away from Juvia when possible. As far as she knew they were still living together, though.

She shook off the sad thoughts and went to find Cana who she was pretty sure had started a drinking game with Bacchus. If anyone could cheer her up right now, it would be Cana and Bacchus.

 _All by myself, I'm here again_  
 _All by myself, you know I'll never change_

Lucy stumbled a bit as she made her way to a table in the corner. Cana and Bacchus were still going strong, but Lucy had figured it was in her liver's best interest that she tap out of the game. She fell heavily to the seat and regarded the guild hall through bleary eyes. Everyone looked so happy. She loved seeing her guild like this. It made all of the hardships they'd been through over the years worthwhile to see everyone smiling and partying the night away.

Yet, here she sat: alone.

Lucy felt tears pricking at her eyes. She always felt so alone now. She felt alone in her empty apartment and she felt alone in the crowded guild hall. She knew that she could summon one of her spirits or call over one of her many friends, but she would still feel alone. How had he become so important to her? How had she let one person wiggle so far into her heart that she was alone in a crowded room just because he wasn't with her.

Her head thumped to the table as she tried not to start bawling in the middle of the party. She felt so pathetic. For three months she had been like this, and she still couldn't see an end in sight. Everything just felt so unfinished. She had been so completely blindsided by Gray's decision that she hadn't had a chance to really say goodbye to him or to their relationship. She couldn't be friends with him because she still so desperately wanted to be more than that.

She started crying quietly as the drunken tsunami of thoughts swirled through her head. She was so lost in them that she didn't notice when an arm wrapped around her back and another around her knees to pick her up. She sort of noticed the night air and a bare chest pressed against her arm, but Lucy was mostly too wrapped in her misery until she was being laid on the bed in her apartment.

When her rescuer pulled away, Lucy's arms wrapped around his neck.

"Please don't go. I don't want to be alone anymore," Lucy whispered. Even through the alcohol she knew that she sounded weak, but she just didn't care anymore. She wasn't even sure who had brought her home, but she knew that she needed someone to stay with her tonight.

 _I'm just drunk again_  
 _I'll be drunk again_  
 _I'll be drunk again_  
 _To feel a little love_

"Okay, Luce," Gray whispered as he crawled into bed with her. He pulled the covers around them both and held her tightly.

"Sorry I'm such a drunken mess," Lucy mumbled against his chest.

"It's okay," he said. He brushed her hair back from her face. He knew that he shouldn't be here. Each day it got harder and harder to stay away from her. He knew what a huge mistake he had made in leaving her to begin with, but he also knew that it wasn't fair to beg her to take him back. She had every right to hate him for the way he'd handled things. He should have talked things out with her instead of just jumping ship.

"I love you, Lucy," he whispered.

Lucy whimpered as she snuggled closer to him. She thought this was just another dream. Another of her nightly torments, and when she woke up, he'd be gone because he'd never really been there. Still, she could at least pretend that it was real. Pretend that his cold arms were warming her up in the bed they used to share.

"And I'm so sorry for everything," he continued as his arms tightened around her. "I'm a complete idiot, and I never deserved you."

Lucy's eyes blinked open slowly. That one was new. She was used to dreaming about Gray telling her that he loved her and even apologizing, but he'd never said that he didn't deserve her. Of course, now that she was thinking about it, it was totally true. Maybe her subconscious was just adding to the reasons why she should get over him.

But now that her eyes were open, Lucy knew that she wasn't dreaming. She was still drunk off her ass, so things moved slowly, but she knew that he was really here. Lucy knew that she should yell at him and kick him out of the bed. She couldn't do it, though. She wanted this too much. Even after everything he had put her through for the past three months, she wanted to be right here with him.

So, instead of shoving him away, she buried her face in his neck and whispered, "I love you, Gray."

She didn't care that it sounded weak. She didn't want to be strong in front of him or anyone else anymore. She was so tired of fighting the fact that her heart still wanted him. She didn't even care that she would probably regret this in the morning. Nothing would change for them overnight. But for now, she could lie in his arms just one more time. She could feel like he loved her just one more time.


	5. Day 5: Breakdown

**A/N: Whoo! Yesterday was a doozy, huh? Here's a bit lighter fare. Another modern AU.**

* * *

 **Day 5: Breakdown**

"The song is 'Tiny Dancer,' not 'Tony Danza.' Moron," Gray said. Natsu scowled at him from across the table and flipped him off. Gray just smirked at him in his usual 'bring it on' expression. Erza interrupted before they could start fighting.

"So where is Lucy tonight?"

"I tried to get her to come out, but you know it's the anniversary tonight."

"What anniversary?" Cana asked as she took a swig from her beer bottle. Somebody started up the jukebox in the corner again so Gray had to speak up to be heard.

"Her mom's death. It's been like… 12 years, I think."

"So she's all alone tonight?" Erza asked. Her brow furrowed in concern.

"I offered to stay with her, but she said she'd be fine. Something about a tradition."

The conversation turned to other topics. The group of friends gathered every Thursday night at the same bar to catch up. Sometimes other friends would join them, but it was always these four and, on any other night, Lucy. Gray and Natsu were getting into another heated discussion over misheard song lyrics when Gray's phone started ringing. He smiled at the name that popped up on the screen before he answered.

"Yo, Lucy, what's up?" Gray said. A tiny crease formed in his brow as the only thing he heard on the other end was distant sobbing.

"Lucy? Lucy, are you okay?" Gray didn't notice that he had stood up from his chair and everyone was staring at him. His knuckles turned white as he clutched the phone while the incomprehensible sobbing continued to pour into his ear.

"Lucy! Talk to me. What's wrong?" He heard another choked hiccup before the call disconnected. Gray stood there staring at his phone as he struggled to get his breathing under control.

"Gray?" Erza said. Her voice was heavy with concern. "Is everything alright?"

"No. I don't think it is," Gray said. He grabbed his jacket and sprinted for the door, calling over his shoulder, "I've got to check on Lucy."

There was little traffic on the road. Still, Gray found himself beyond agitated at anyone doing less than ten miles over the speed limit who happened to get in front of him as he raced across town to Lucy's apartment. He knew he shouldn't have left her alone tonight. She said it was fine and that she just wanted to be alone for the anniversary, but he'd known that was a mistake. He'd had a terrible feeling about it. And now she was so distraught that she was calling him in the middle of a breakdown and he was stuck behind this motherfucking Honda that didn't understand that he had somewhere incredibly important to be!

Finally making it past the Honda, Gray turned onto Lucy's street and performed the fastest parallel parking job of his life. Miraculously without hitting either of the cars around his chosen spot. Gray didn't bother locking his car (and barely remembered to shut the door) before he took the stairs two at a time to the front door of her building where he started desperately pressing Lucy's buzzer. The lock clicked, and Gray yanked the door open. He had sprinted to the top of the first flight before the door even closed.

He half expected Lucy to be waiting for him at her apartment door, but the door was firmly shut. Gray tried to tamp down on his anxiety and the nervous adrenaline coursing through his body was he tapped frantically on her door. He shifted from foot to foot. Had he taken too long? Was she prostrate on the floor of her living room unable to answer the door? Was she currently in a catatonic state lying on her bed as she stared unseeing at the ceiling?

Gray's fidgeting had progressed to full blown spasms by the time the door swung open to reveal a perfectly calm (though slightly red-eyed) Lucy. Gray's arms snapped out to wrap her in a hug while stroking her hair.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long, but I'm here now. It's all okay," Gray said.

"Um, that's okay, Gray," Lucy said. She pushed back from him and raised an eyebrow. "But, um, what _are_ you doing here?"

Gray blinked at her for several seconds before letting his arms fall to his sides dejectedly.

"You just called me. You were crying your eyes out, and I couldn't understand a word you were saying, so I rushed over to make sure you were okay." Gray said. Lucy's hand flew to her mouth as she nearly choked trying to hold back a giggle.

"I'm so sorry, Gray, but I think I must have butt-dialed you."

Gray felt his face burning, and he desperately wanted to sink into the floor. He remembered that he had gone through at least two red lights, flipped off at least one senior citizen and a mother with two children in the backseat, and cut off more people than he could count. It was possible that he'd almost run over a dog being walked by an elderly man in suspenders, but that bit was a little hazy. He'd dropped everything and sped across town expecting a breakdown, and instead he got… a butt-dial.

"Oh, um, it's cool. Sorry for… I mean, I'll just… go. I guess," Gray said. He started to turn away but then he turned back. "Actually, considering that I just broke a ton of traffic laws to get here as soon as humanly possible, why were you sobbing?"

Lucy's teeth worried at her bottom lip for a moment.

"Actually, that was Levy sobbing uncontrollably," she finally said.

"Levy's here?"

"Hi, Gray!" A tiny hoarse voice called from inside followed by a hiccup.

"Sorry, she… gets a little carried away with the waterworks when we watch _Titanic_ ," Lucy whispered. "Levy and I were inseparable as kids, so we kind of shared Mom. We watch Mom's favorite movie every year even if we're not together. I didn't think that Levy was going to make it this time, but she got some time off work and drove down."

"Oh, okay, um, well, you two have fun, I guess," Gray said. He rubbed at his neck before giving her a tight smile and turning back for the stairs.

"Wait, Gray!" Lucy called as she took a couple steps forward to grab his arm. He raised an eyebrow at her, and his heart stuttered a bit when he realized that she was blushing. "Were you really rushing to comfort me without a second thought?"

It was Gray's turn to blush. As much as he wanted to play the cool, tough guy, he couldn't lie to her now.

"Yeah, of course, Luce. There's probably a warrant out for my arrest at this point, but it's worth it to know that you're okay."

Lucy's blush deepened, and before he could react, she got on her tiptoes and gently pressed her lips to his. She drew back after a moment with a squeak. She whispered "thank you" before running into her apartment and closing the door. Gray stood there in the hallway stunned until he heard dual feminine squeals coming from inside Lucy's apartment. The high-pitched sound shook him from his reverie. Gray smirked as he turned and slowly headed back to meet up with his friends.


	6. Bonus 1: Vintage

**A/N: Day 6, Weakness isn't quite ready yet, so instead, here's one of the bonus days, Vintage. It's also a modern AU.**

* * *

 **Bonus 1: Vintage**

Gray leaned against the counter and stared blankly at the empty record store. He sighed as he contemplated for the 4056th time since taking this job how ridiculous it was to even have a record store. Nobody listened to vinyl anymore except hipsters and geezers. Half his time was spent organizing the old albums that people brought in to sell. And that was mostly crap that no one was going to buy, so his boss ended up turning it into disc sculptures. At least a few of those sold for the novelty.

The other half of his time was spent leaning against the counter and staring blankly at the empty store. He was so lost in his ruminations that he missed the sound of the chime over the door. It wasn't until a head of blonde hair passed in front of his field of vision that Gray realized he actually had a customer. His eyes followed her as she wandered with purpose towards the heavy metal section. Her blonde hair hung loose nearly to her waist. It swayed in time with her hips as she strolled. She stood on her tiptoes to thumb through the records at the back of the box. Gray swallowed thickly at the sight of her perfect ass in the black mini skirt.

She turned towards him, and Gray's eyes jumped to her face. She smiled and walked over to him with a record in her hands.

"I don't suppose you've got somewhere that I can listen to this?" She asked.

The album in her hand was sealed, and he wasn't really supposed to play anything unless it was an open vintage that someone had brought in, but…

"Sure," he said. He took the album from her and carried it over to the turntable they kept on the back counter to test new vintage albums that came in.

"Any particular song?" He asked as he slid his nail along the edge of the plastic to open it up.

"Side 1, Song 2," she said.

Gray wiped a clean cloth over the album to remove some of the particles from the inner lining before setting it on the turntable and flipping the switch to set it spinning. He carefully set the needle on the line for the second song. It wasn't until the song started playing that he bothered to look at the album cover. At the same moment, Axl Rose's grating voice thrummed through the room. Gray smiled.

 _I said baby you been looking real good_  
 _You know that I remember when we met_  
 _It's funny how I never felt so good_  
 _It's a feeling that I know I know I'll never forget_  
 _Oooh it was the best time I can remember_  
 _Oooh and the love we shared_  
 _Lovin' that'll last forever_

He tried to tone down the silly grin on his face before turning back to face the blonde. She had moved to look at another box of records, but now her hips shimmied slightly and her head bobbed in time with the music. He started "sorting" some albums nearby and surreptitiously watched her. Then, she started singing with the music, and he felt his heart flip flop in his chest. Not because her voice was good. She actually sounded like a dying cat, but then, so did Axl. It was because she was so into it.

"So you're a Guns N Roses fan?" He asked. She turned back to him, still dancing. She sang the last verse before replying.

"One of my current obsessions," she said with a grin. "You?"

"I'm more into Alice Cooper, but 'Patience' is one of my all-time favorite songs."

"Oh my god, me too!" she said. "To both of those statements actually. I don't suppose you have the _Lies_ album? I didn't see it over there."

"No, we got in one copy, but," Gray rubbed his neck sheepishly, "That one went home with me immediately."

She laughed before sticking out her hand.

"I'm Lucy, by the way."

"Gray," he said as he took her hand. The handshake ended entirely too quickly for him, but he didn't want to look like a creep by holding onto her hand for too long. They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Gray glanced around, desperately searching for a new topic.

"Say, you said you like Alice Cooper, too, right? We just got this in the other day." He grabbed an album from the counter and held it up. Lucy gave a slight squeal and jumped up and down for a second. Gray tried not to look at her boobs bouncing. He really did try. Luckily she didn't notice as she came up to take the album from him.

"I have been looking for this forever!" She said. She gently hugged the record to her chest as she whispered to it, "You are coming home with me for sure, beautiful."

She looked back up at Gray, and asked, "Can we listen to it now?"

"Sure thing, but you'll have to hand it back to me," he said.

"Can I do it? Please, please, please?"

Technically no one was supposed to go behind the counter, either, but that was more Gray's self-imposed rule than something his boss had ever said. So, he nodded and led the way around to the turntable. He carefully lifted the needle from _Appetite for Destruction_ and slid it into its cover while Lucy reverently pulled out the disc for _Trash_.

 _Your cruel device_  
 _Your blood, like ice_  
 _One look, could kill_  
 _My pain, your thrill_

God this song was creepy, but oddly enticing. Lucy swayed to the music while mouthing along with the words for a few verses. Then, she grabbed Gray's hands, and pulled him towards her.

"Dance with me!" She said. Gray laughed as he joined her in the odd jumping around and swaying that she called dancing. He felt absolutely ridiculous, but he really couldn't care.

They chatted and danced through several more albums and songs before Lucy said she had to go.

"You should let me know if you get in another copy of _Lies_ ," she said as she paid for the Alice Cooper album.

"Sure, but you could just come listen to it with me," he said. His face turned bright red as he realized what had popped out of his mouth. Lucy giggled.

"I'd like that," she said. She grabbed a notepad and pen from beside the register and scribbled down her number. "Call me when you get off work."

She peeled the sticky note off and stuck it to his forehead before throwing him another smile and strolling out of the store. Gray just stood there staring after her until the note fluttered to the counter top. He snatched it up and fist pumped before putting _Appetite for Destruction_ back on the turntable.

 _I think about you_  
 _You know you're the one I want_  
 _I think about you_  
 _Darling you're the only one,  
_ _I think about you_


	7. Day 6: Weakness

**A/N: Okay, back on track here. Thanks so much to everyone who has been following along and reviewing! I hope you dig this one, too :)**

 **And be sure to check out the other participants like ImpracticalDemon and MWolfe13, they've got some good stuff going on!**

* * *

 **Day 6: Weakness**

Puddles were forming in the mud around him when Gray woke up to Natsu shouting in his ear. Gray rolled to sit up as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. It was pouring. The rain had plastered Natsu's spiky pink hair to his skull, and the water seeped into Gray's boxers where he was still sitting. He idly wondered where his pants were. Then, his attention was redirected to Natsu who was still yelling, but Gray only heard static until Natsu grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently while yelling, "… … Lucy?!"

Gray shot to his feet looking around wildly.

"Where's Lucy?" Gray yelled.

"That's what I'm asking you, ice freak!" Natsu yelled back. The two were in the process of literally bumping heads when Erza appeared and pulled them apart.

"Natsu, have you located Lucy?"

"No! I just found the ice princess here unconscious. What the hell happened?"

Gray glanced between his two friends as he desperately tried to remember what had brought him here. They had come to Shirotsume to investigate the disappearance of some young women. Gray had been sticking close to his girlfriend because the mission flyer said the kidnappers seemed to like blondes. They were searching a tip from a local when…

Gray collapsed back to the ground.

"Gray, what is it?" Erza asked.

"They took Lucy. There were four mages. I recognized two of them." He put his head in his hands. "This is all my fault."

* * *

Lucy glared at the purple-haired woman sitting at the table across from her. An opulent chandelier hung over the large table. At least, it had once been opulent. Now, several crystals were missing, and the hooks were coming out of the ceiling so it hung at an angle. The table and chairs had been fine once, too. Now, the table was scuffed; one leg was missing so the whole thing was propped up with a crate. The stuffing of the chairs had been attacked my moths and who knows what else.

A scratched silver plate heaped with food sat in front of Lucy. The woman across from her ate daintily. She finally glanced up at Lucy and smiled at the blonde's angry look.

"Aren't you going to eat, Miss Heartfilia?" She asked.

"That's a little difficult without the use of my hands," Lucy sneered. She pulled against her bonds for emphasis so that her chair shook but the ropes around her hands held.

"Well, we tried to be civil and let you use your hands, but you just had to reach for those beautiful baubles on your belt."

"They are not baubles!" Lucy said indignantly.

"Oh, I know very well what they are, Miss Heartfilia." The two women stared at each other as tension ate up the room. It was finally broken by the entrance of a teenage boy.

"Aunt Anya, Red is back," he said.

"Thank you, Jace," Anya said. "I'll be with him in a moment."

The boy nodded and scurried out of sight again. Anya set down her silverware and removed the napkin from her lap before standing. Her evening gown reminded Lucy of the woman's beauty; both were worn and tattered at the edges, though Anya couldn't have been much older than Lucy.

"Well, please enjoy the rest of your meal, Miss Heartfilia. I'll be back shortly." She strolled from the room.

Lucy frowned after her before trying in earnest to get free of her bindings. She finally gave up on trying to wiggle out of the ropes and just tried to maneuver her hands enough to reach her keys. They were still attached to her hip, and she didn't think the ropes were magic-cancelling. Of course, that begged the question of why Loke hadn't opened his own gate. She called to him under her breath multiple times until Anya came in for their "dinner." But the lion spirit had never appeared.

She had nearly squirmed enough to touch the cold edge of a key with her fingertip when a snicker from the doorway brought her head up sharply. Her neck complained at the sudden movement. A man with bright red hair spiked around his face stood leaning against the door frame. He chuckled again and snapped his fingers. The weight of Lucy's keys disappeared from her hip as the ring appeared in his palm.

"I told Anya to take these from you just in case you proved more… flexible than she suspected," he said. His oddly pitched voice grated on her eardrums. Lucy just lifted her chin and gave him her best disdainful look. He merely laughed again.

"Look down all you want, Miss Heartfilia," he said. "I can't say that I blame you given the current state of our manor. Rather dismal place isn't it?"

He glanced around the shabby dining room, and Lucy couldn't help letting her eyes wander, too. It made her sad on some level, but only because it reminded her that her own childhood home was likely falling into similar disrepair. She was trying to save up the money to buy it back from the debt collectors before some other rich businessman decided to purchase it, not that it seemed likely anyone else would want it.

"It was beautiful so few years ago," he continued. Lucy's gaze snapped back to him as his voice softened. "Eight years, I would say. Yes, eight years ago we were happy. Until your little boyfriend came along."

His voice turned feral at the end, but Anya appeared before he could continue.

"Enough, Red," she said. "We'll have our revenge on Fullbuster soon."

"It's been a long time coming," Red snarled, but then his features smoothed out into an off-putting smile. "I take it the preparations are complete?"

Anya nodded.

"Take her to the sitting room," Anya said. "A lady should greet her beloved in the proper setting after all."

Before Lucy could demand to know what the hell was going on, the world winked into darkness for an instant before she found herself sitting on an uncomfortable sofa. The room was gray from the daylight attempting to penetrate the moth-eaten curtains. Dust motes floated in the stray bits of light that made it through tears in the curtains. Lucy shrieked as something with too many legs crawled onto her thigh. She hopped up and danced around as she tried to shake the thing off. Red laughed from where he lounged in an armchair by the empty fireplace.

"You know, you could just sell this place and live somewhere nicer," Lucy said. She glanced back at the sofa and opted to not sit back down on the spider's home.

"You're assuming we own the manor," Red said quietly.

"You don't?" Lucy asked. Then, she shook her head and continued, "Nevermind. I really don't care. Just tell me what the hell is going on. And what does Gray have to do with anything?"

Red's hand clenched into a fist around her keys, but he didn't respond. Lucy sighed. Whatever was going to happen, they clearly weren't going to make the wait comfortable for her. She just hoped her team didn't fall into whatever trap this odd group had laid out for them. Not that she was really worried. Team Natsu had a habit of making their enemies pay for their transgressions, with interest. The four mages had gotten the drop on her and Gray, but it wasn't likely to happen again.

* * *

"What do you mean this is your fault?" Natsu growled. Gray stared at the ground for a minute before replying.

"8 years ago, just before we went to Tenrou for the trials, I took a job to investigate suspicious disappearances in this town. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner; it's basically the same reason we're here now. First it was just household pets, but overtime, kids started going missing. My investigation led me to the leader of the local business guild. His manor is just outside of town. At first, I didn't really believe he had anything to do with it. He seemed like a normal man with a nice family. His wife had recently passed away, but his kids seemed well cared for."

Gray heaved a sigh and rubbed his face as he gathered the courage to continue. The mission had given him nightmares right up until Acnologia gave him something else to plague his dreams.

"I don't like thinking about it, so I'll give you the short version: he was using old books on forbidden magic to try to bring his wife back. The rituals involved animal sacrifice to complete."

"Then why the missing kids?" Erza said.

"The animals were to bring her back… The kids were to keep her alive. The amount of blood in his basement was… Well, I've still never seen anything like it."

Natsu looked a bit green around the gills, and Erza paled significantly.

"I turned the man in, but first I had to defeat the monster that used to be his wife. I froze her in a block of ice, and I smashed her… it… into a million pieces."

There was silence for a few minutes until Natsu gripped his head and yelled in annoyance.

"And what does this have to do with Lucy being kidnapped again?"

"I told you, I recognized two of the mages. They're older now, but I'll never forget the look on that girl's face when I killed her mother." Gray clenched his fists in his lap. He yelped when Erza reached down and yanked him to his feet.

"You did not kill his mother," Erza said. "You killed a creature created by forbidden magic. I am sorry that the child had to see it. I doubt she understood. But that is not your fault."

She clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to knock him back to the ground.

"Now, where would they have taken Lucy?"

"I don't—," Gray stopped. "The manor. They would take her to the manor."

"Then, let's go get our Lucy back," Erza said. Natsu pumped a fire-lit fist in the air.

"I'm all fired up now!"

* * *

Lucy eventually sat back down on the edge of the sofa. She had considered the floor as a viable alternative, but she was pretty sure she'd seen a roach in the gloom of the tattered carpet. Red hadn't moved from his position in the arm chair. She thought he might have fallen asleep.

The silence shattered around them as something crashed through a window in the room across the hall. Anya screamed commands over her shoulder as she dashed into the den.

"Take her somewhere else while we subdue the fire mage and the requip mage," Anya ordered. Red instantly appeared at Lucy's side, yanking her to her feet by her arm. She hadn't had a chance to regain her balance before the den dissolved around them and she found herself stumbling into a damp stone wall. Red disappeared again.

Lucy tried to gather her bearings, but there was no light at all. She leaned against the wall and began feeling her way along the ledge. She cursed aloud as her hip colliding with the sharp edge of some furniture, probably a table or desk. She gripped the edge of the table/desk while she waited for the pain to subside. Lucy strained to hear anything that was happening in the house. At least, she assumed she was still in the house. The only sound to reach her was the faint dripping of something in the walls.

An eternity seemed to pass as she waited. She finally began moving again as she looked for a door in the dark. Just as she reached a piece of wall that seemed to be wood rather than wet stone, she heard footsteps clattering towards her. She leapt back from the door moments before it was flung open. Lucy blinked in the sudden light as a figure lunged for her. Another figure barreled down the stairs after the first. Lucy nearly sobbed in relief as her eyes adjusted to see Gray framed in the doorway. Then, the first figure pulled sharply on her arms, wrenching her backwards.

Gray froze as Anya whipped out a foot-long blade and brought it to Lucy's throat. Lucy instantly stopped struggling, and she looked like she was even trying not to breathe.

"Give it up, Anya. You've already lost," Gray said, though he made no moves towards her.

"Well, Gray Fullbuster, I must say I underestimated your friends. A mistake to be sure, but nothing that is irreparable. After all, I still have my trump card."

Lucy whimpered as Anya tightened her one-handed grip on the blonde's bound hands.

"Your one weakness. We waited so long to find it. So many nights watching you. First we thought of your guild, but we knew we couldn't take on all of Fairy Tail, not after the display at the Grand Magic Games. But finally we found it, the one thing you care about more than yourself. Her."

Lucy whimpered again as the blade nicked her skin.

"Leave Lucy out of this," Gray said. His voice was low as though he was speaking to a wounded animal. "I'm the person you want. Fight me one-on-one. No one will interfere, and you can try to take your misguided revenge."

Anya laughed. It was a shrill sound skirting the edge of madness, and Lucy thought her ears might start bleeding if it continued for long.

"As fitting as it would be to kill you here, in the very room where you murdered my mother, your death was never the plan."

Anya's arm moved suddenly. Gray shouted and thrust both hands in front of him. Lucy screamed in terror, but the sound cut off abruptly as she tumbled into darkness and cold.

* * *

 _I didn't know what else to do. There wasn't time._

 _We know. Don't worry._

 _But what if—_

 _Stop. She'll wake when she's ready._

Lucy frowned as she tried to open her eyes. There was something heavy draped over her, and her thoughts seemed sluggish. A warm weight pressed on her forehead, and she wanted it off, but her arms didn't seem to be responding. Giving up on her limbs, Lucy focused all of her willpower on one eyelid. It slowly rose, and then tried to shut again as the dim light hit her pupil. Lucy fought the urge and forced the eyelid wider until she could make out an all too familiar room at the guild and a much more welcome head of black hair lying on the bed nearby.

"Gray?" Lucy said. The sound came out far quieter than she expected. His head shot up so she could see his face. He jumped up from his chair and leaned over to wrap his arms around her. She tried to hug him back, but her arms were still being obstinate. He finally pulled back enough to look in her eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"Cold," she finally said.

"Okay, I'll have Natsu come be your space heater again. We weren't sure how much heat was too much while you were unconscious, so we've been having him come lie down with you in increments."

She tried to reach out to draw him back before he could run off to get their teammate, but a cold shiver was the only thing her body managed. Her teeth were chattering by the time Natsu came in. He instantly crawled into the bed with her and wrapped his arms around her shaking form. Gray went to sit down in the chair again.

"Y-y-you sh-should climb u-up h-here, t-t-too," Lucy stuttered through her chattering teeth.

"I'll probably just make you colder, Lucy," he said. She shook her head, and the heating pad tumbled off her forehead to land on Natsu's face.

"Y-y-you always k-keep m-me w-w-warm," she said. Gray frowned for a moment as he thought but then he nodded and climbed onto the narrow bed. Natsu moved his arm so Gray could find a place to get comfortable as they cocooned her with their body heat. Lucy's chattering slowly died down as she fell asleep. Several moments passed in silence as Gray gazed at Lucy, and Natsu tried to give him as much privacy as possible while sharing a bed.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," Gray murmured.

"It wasn't your fault, Gray," Natsu said. "Lucy will know that."

"How is this not my fault, Natsu?" Gray whisper-yelled. "I'm the reason she was captured. I'm the reason she almost got her throat slit open. And I'm the reason she's recovering from hypothermia!"

"You had to freeze me, didn't you?" Lucy's quiet whisper stopped Natsu's next angry retort.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were sleeping," Gray said quietly.

"One side of me started burning up while the other felt like it was being frozen solid," Lucy said with a shadow of her usual giggle. "If you guys are going to help me get better, you've gotta try to stay close to the same temperature."

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," Gray said. She knew he didn't just mean for the current temperature issue, so she leaned her head over so her forehead rested against his.

"I know, Gray. Natsu's right. It's not your fault. You saved me," she whispered. She leaned forward just a bit more and laid her lips against his for a moment before settling her head back on the pillow. "Thank you."

He still felt responsible for her ending up in the situation in the first place, but at least she would be okay. Now that she had woken up, he was sure that everything was going to be fine. He sighed and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Anya had been a crazy, revenge-driven individual, but she had been right about one thing, the blonde woman in his arms was his weakness. But she was a weakness that he would protect at all costs and never doubt the worth of keeping her by his side.


End file.
